Mincing Words
by DgShadowChocolate
Summary: "What am I doing here?" Across from him, his tablemate sipped his milkshake, the quiet slurping from the straw pulling him out of his annoyed reverie. Seto Kaiba almost let out a sigh of exasperation. This boy here was also part of the problem. Actually, he'd been a problem for nearly four years. Drabble between Kaiba and Yugi.
1. Converge

_I know I have a ton of other fics to work on, but...  
Yugioh has taken over and I had to get this out of my system.  
I dunno if this'll stay as a one-shot, or if I'll continue it and let it skip down a dangerous path...  
*ahem* I'll leave that up the to those that read this._

 _Set after the end of Duel Monsters._

* * *

" _What am I doing here?"_

It wasn't the first time he had asked himself that question, and it bothered him to no end. Glaring down at the pale crème soda he hadn't ordered, he listened to the mixture of low conversation, quiet overhead music, and the light clinking of glasses and tableware that made up the white noise of the small corner café. It was pleasant and soothing, and if he'd actually been willing to come here, he would have enjoyed it to a small degree.

Across from him, his tablemate sipped his milkshake, the quiet slurping from the straw pulling him out of his annoyed reverie.

Seto Kaiba almost let out a sigh of exasperation. This boy here was also part of the problem. Actually, he'd been a problem for nearly four years. Beneath his blond bangs, he kept his eyes focused on his milkshake, politely drinking in silence. But Seto knew that under that calm façade was a raging curiosity as to why he was there.

" _I'd like to know that as well!"_ He thought, grumpily looking back over the course of the day.

He'd been strangely restless ever since he'd woken up, his mind in some kind of daze, while at the same time, pent up energy was urging him to do….something. What that something was, he didn't know. And that was what he _hated_! It was a mystery he had no control over. And he prided himself on having control; control over his company, control over his opponents in duels, and especially control over his own life and mind. Anything that threatened that control had to go, except for a few…special cases.

Which brought him back to the one idly slurping that blasted milkshake!

The frown on Seto's face deepened, and he was positive that whatever was wrong with him, that it was one hundred percent Yugi Muto's fault. It nearly always was.

That persistent energy had kept him from focusing all day. He barely remembered anything his brother Mokuba had said to him over breakfast this morning, and he couldn't bear sitting still for the paperwork for Kaiba Corp., much less the board meeting that was scheduled later. Overruling his employee's protests, he'd canceled everything for today, ordered to not be disturbed, and had set off for who-knows-where.

Walking down the streets of Domino City, he ignored the stares surrounding him as tried to make sense of what was wrong with him, with little success. He'd stood there, grinding his teeth in frustration when−

" _Kaiba?"_

Turning around, he met the eyes of Yugi Muto blinking up at him in surprise before a smile broke across his face…

And now he was here, sitting in some nondescript café. Yugi had placed the crème soda in front of him without a word of explanation, before joining him in a silence that grew and thickened from the restrained tension. But in a way, he was grateful for it. He didn't want to be yammered at, as was the habit of Yugi and his annoying friends…

Seto's eyes flicked back to his drink, watching the bubbles skipping around the cubes of ice on their way to the surface of the pale amber liquid. The memories of two months ago had cropped up, unbidden, in the forefront of his mind. Walls of ancient, untouched stone. Two Yugi Mutos squaring off for one last battle. Determined amethyst eyes boring into his own. A victory in a duel that was on par with a miracle. The back of an ancient Pharaoh walking into the light of eternity.

 _Gone. Forever…_

"It's a nice day today."

Yugi's voice sounded surreal as it suddenly broke the silence that had built up between them. Seto looked up to see him swirling what was left of his milkshake with his straw.

"It's almost that time of year for the Duel Monsters Regionals. Grandpa is already restocking the shop to get ready for the city to be filled with duelists."

Yugi met his gaze then, smiling. "Will you be there for the Regionals? Wait, what am even saying?" He chuckled, spiky black and magenta hair swaying as he shook his head.

"I forgot who I'm talking to. There's no way you wouldn't be there!"

"How can you act like this?"

Seto spoke without thinking, the words out of his mouth before he could stop them. His voice was low, but still carrying the same bitter edge he'd cultivated over the years. Yugi had froze, surprised. In all honesty, they both were.

"How can you sit there as if nothing had happened? As if nothing had changed?!"

 _As if he wasn't gone._

Yugi didn't say anything. He met Seto's frustrated gaze calmly, his eyes filled with an emotion the other couldn't read. After a long moment, Yugi leaned back in his chair and stared out the window.

"…I know I seem like that. I know that's how I look, but…I'm not. That's not it."

He shook his head again, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Seto watched him intently, drinking in each word. All of a sudden, this conversation right here, right now, was vitally important.

"It's just so…strange." Yugi continued, suddenly letting out a small laugh.

"I'm still not used to having only one voice in my head. And I still can't believe that before…before everything, that this was how it was, that it was _normal._ I'll turn my head, still expecting him to be there, waiting to hear him speak…"

Seto watched him as he sighed, watched his left hand lift to cradle a golden pyramid that no longer hung from around his neck. Yugi closed his eyes before turning his head back to face Seto, giving him a small, sad smile.

"But he's gone. He's finally been laid to rest…and life goes on. He's done his part, and now it's my turn."

"And you think it's that simple? Can you match him?" Again, the words were out before he could think. Where was this coming from?

"Do you honestly think you could hold your own at his level?"

"Do you?" Yugi shot back, his gaze level and his voice even.

Seto didn't answer. Instead, he studied him, studied the Yugi Muto sitting in front of him. Three years ago, this shrimp of a kid wouldn't have been able to look him in the eyes. He wouldn't have been able to stand up to him, or anyone else. He wouldn't have been the King of Games, a title that had been pulled from Seto's lips by the very truth of what had happened in that tomb.

He could see it. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to admit it, but it was there. The same strength he had seen in those purple eyes, blazing at him from across countless battlefields, was here now. Set in a face of childlike innocence, that strength still glowed like a steady ember.

 _I was wrong Mokuba…_

 _He is the King of Games…_

"I don't know what to think." Seto replied, softly. The whole thing was just a confusing mess, and more than once he wished it hadn't happened. But…

Yugi smiled at him, a smile not of sympathy or mockery, but an honest kindness that Seto would have considered as weakness from anybody else. And yet, coming from Yugi, it didn't irritate him. Instead, it…

" _Brilliant. I'm being comforted by Muto of all people."_

"Well, we'll find out at the Regionals, won't we?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Seto nodded. Abruptly, he wrapped his hands around his glass and finally took a drink. To his suddenly drained mind, it tasted amazing, and if his pride had allowed it, he would've thanked Yugi for treating him. Had he ever had crème soda before? He didn't remember.

He looked back at Yugi to see him gazing out the window again. He didn't say anything more, but this time, the silence was…nice. Comfortable. On any other day in the past, Seto would have balked from this atmosphere of easy familiarity. But today…

He took another drink and let his mind wander, a small part of himself already eagerly planning for the Regionals and what Yugi Muto would have in store for him.


	2. Two-point-Oh

Organizing a Duel Monsters Tournament was not something new to him, and managing a massive event like the annual regionals certainly didn't faze him. Business was what he faced on a regular basis. And yet, these past two weeks were the busiest weeks of Seto Kaiba's life…which was saying something. After receiving permission from Industrial Illusions-a telecall with Pegasus that still gave him a headache-the Duel Monsters Tournament Regionals were set to take place in Kaiba Land and Seto was ready to deal with the preparations.

Or so he'd thought.

Managing the event schedule, rearranging the park's reservation window, negotiating with Domino City's Transportation Board, ordering catering, setting up security, configuring the Duel system and satellites, overseeing the duelist registration; all that and more was an avalanche of work that he'd never before experienced. Any lesser man would have balked from it, but it wasn't Seto's style to back down from any challenge, and he tackled the workload head on.

 _How is renting half of the city easier than my own theme park dammit?!_

But that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

And so it was that he'd barely been able to work on his deck as the regionals drew ever closer. Well, not that he had _needed_ to work on it. Seto already knew that he'd leave a long train of defeats behind him, scattering his opponents like dominoes on his way to the top. But it didn't hurt to check. No, it didn't hurt to make sure he was ready for the only one who could stand against him.

 _Yugi._

* * *

Despite the number of hours of sleep that he'd missed, Seto's body thrummed with energy, the same energy that had crackled through the air for the entire day of the regionals. All throughout Kaiba Land, duelists battled each other for the coveted Regional slot that would send them to the finals. Naturally, Seto had already earned his place, but the thought of facing an International Champion hadn't stopped anyone from dueling him. In fact, many relished the chance to face him, even if they were pounded into submission not five minutes later. That was the spirit of a true duelist, and he almost respected them for it.

Almost.

He stood at attention in the Executive Booth of the Duel Dome, back straight with his trademark coat billowing behind him. The crowd buzzed, the sound echoing loudly within the stadium. Down below, Yugi Muto was about to duel his final opponent for the regionals.

Seto could barely keep his hands from shaking. It felt as if every nerve in his body buzzed with anticipation as the duelists climbed the stairs to their duel consoles. He'd been keeping track of Yugi's progress, using the system to watch him as the day wore on.

And it was eerie as, just like before, just like with _him_ , Yugi Muto had nothing but victories under his belt. It was almost as if nothing had changed…

Seeing this had left him feeling a mixture of eager excitement, and inexplicable dread. He hadn't faced Yugi yet, and at this point, he was almost glad. The loss was well worth the reward of watching.

The duel began.

It was a difficult match. Yugi's opponent was very sly, using guerilla tactics against him and quickly springing traps to avoid defeat while sending out monsters to pick at Yugi's lifepoints. He was talented, and it was obvious that he was used to his opponents crumbling.

And yet…

When Seto dueled, each and every move he made was to force his opposition into a coffin and nail them in. Brutal, effective, and aggressive, like a gunshot.

When the Other Yugi dueled, it was powerful, it was decisive, facing the opposition and ending the duel with a note of finality, like a judge's gavel closing the court.

When Yugi dueled, it was so…different.

He hadn't noticed it during that duel in the tomb, being too lost in the moment, in what was happening. He thought he knew what to expect, but once again, he was wrong. He'd never really known how Yugi dueled, had he? This duel, right here, right now, was the first time he'd ever seen it.

Yugi dueled quickly, lightly, lacking that dominant edge behind his actions that Seto knew so well. He appeared vulnerable…yet was anything but. His tactics sent him dancing around his opponent, matching him blow for blow, easily turning the tide in his favor again and again. Bouncing in between defense and attack with smooth confidence, Yugi dueled like a sword, skilled and flexible.

It was a difference that nearly took his break away. It was a difference that everyone else noticed too, both in the tactics and in the deck Yugi used. Confusion grew, but quickly morphed into a near-silent tension during the duel, swaying back and forth like a tennis match.

Then suddenly, it was over. The crowd roared, chanting Yugi's name as the duel ended and Monster's images faded away. Stepping down from the duel console, Yugi briefly waved to the audience before crossing the field to shake hands with his opponent. Seto shakily released the breath he'd been holding, watching Yugi's friends run from the stands to pounce on him, ruffling his spiky hair, and Wheeler trapping him in a playful headlock.

If he weren't so dazed, he would've rolled his eyes.

Yugi looked up, as if he knew exactly where Seto was, and in that moment, their eyes locked. Gazing down at him, Seto's mind flashed back to their conversation two weeks ago in that small café.

" _Do you honestly think you could hold your own at his level?"_

" _Do you?"_

Today, as like before, he had seen it. The real Yugi Muto. The real King of Games. And now, he had his answer to give.

A wild grin broke out across his face, gleeful and excited, sending his message to Yugi loud and clear.

 _I can't wait to face you in the finals!_

And Yugi smiled back.

* * *

 **A bit short, and I'm not sure I did this chapter justice, but there you are. I may go over it again in the future to fix it up a tad.  
It demanded to be written, so I think I know where I'm going with this as a multi-chapter story.  
Thank you for the support!**


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